Arif was born and raised in the Hudson Valley. He has a professional background in community planning and global disaster relief management. He is happy to provide unsolicited advice to help you make your wildest dreams come true.

Sabeen was born and raised in New Jersey. She is a registered architect and a cook. She is brilliant and funny. And she makes everything better. Feel free to ask her for architectural design ideas.

Sabeen and Arif got married in 2016. In 2017, they adopted the Hoot Owl and brought it back to life. For now, they love running the Hoot Owl since it provides them a place to randomly sing karaoke songs with friends and strangers. They live above the Hoot Owl.

Sabeen and Arif were initially assisted in the kitchen by chef Johannes Sanzin. We are grateful to have had his guidance in developing our first menu.

Currently, we are excited to have Chef Jared Lozupone heading up our kitchen. Jared ain’t no slouch. He has worked at critically acclaimed restaurants such as Tribeca Grill and Crispo. He rose through the ranks to Sous Chef before beginning his work at Bolo, Bobby Flay’s New York Times Rated Three Star restaurant. While there, Jared was chosen to open Bobby Flay’s first international restaurant, Mesa Grill, Atlantis, on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. There he helped turn a crew of young cooks into the power-house behind the hotel’s top JD Powers-rated restaurant. Perhaps what Jared is most proud of is being the chef at the Michelin recommended restaurant 606 R&D in Brooklyn. Two years ago Jared and his family moved to the Hudson Valley to be closer to farms, local crafters, and food artisans. We are so lucky to have him, and hope he stays with us forever.

HISTORY OF THE HOOT OWL

The building was originally constructed in 1856. At the time, the area was known as the hamlet of DwaarKill. The building served as the post office, the general store, and according to local lore, at one time functioned as the local brothel. It was known as Terwilleger’s and then Bill’s Store, until Herb Paust bought it and named it Herb’s Hoot Owl in 1947. Since then, the Hoot Owl had its ups and downs, but gained a fairly infamous reputation in the area until it closed down to the public in 2013. In May of 2017, Arif and Sabeen re-opened this community gathering place.